Biography
Who is Shawnee Smith?
Early life and upbringing
Shawnee Smith was born on July 3, 1969, in Orangeburg, South Carolina, at the Orangeburg Regional Hospital. She is the second child of Patricia Ann, an oncology nurse, and James H. Smith, a financial planner and former United States Air Force pilot. When she was five months old, her family relocated from South Carolina to West Los Angeles, California. Her parents divorced when she was two years old, and her mother later remarried after they moved to the San Fernando Valley.
Shawnee attended North Hollywood High School during her youth. Her introduction to the entertainment industry began at a young age when she appeared in a television commercial for McDonald's in 1977 at the age of eight. By age eleven, she made her feature film debut in John Huston's 1982 film adaptation of the Broadway musical Annie, portraying one of the orphans.
Acting career beginnings
Following her film debut, Shawnee expanded into theater. At age fifteen, she won a role in the Los Angeles play To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, where her performance earned her a Drama-League Critics Award. During the 1980s, she secured various small television and film parts, including appearances in Cagney & Lacey and Iron Eagle. In 1987, she played a pregnant student named Rhonda in the comedy film Summer School.
Her first starring role in a feature film arrived in 1988 with the horror remake The Blob. The following year, she appeared in the comedy film Who's Harry Crumb? Alongside John Candy, playing a teenager who enlists help to locate her kidnapped sister. She also co-starred in the short-lived television series Brand New Life during the same year.
Television success and Saw franchise
In 1998, Shawnee was cast as Linda, the office aide to Dr. John Becker, in the CBS sitcom Becker. She remained a main character on the show for all six seasons until its cancellation in 2004. Around this time, she took on the role that would define much of her career in horror cinema, playing Amanda Young in James Wan's low-budget horror film Saw in 2003.
The film became a major box office success, and Shawnee reprised her role as Amanda Young in multiple sequels, including Saw II, Saw III, Saw VI, and Saw X. In addition to her work in the Saw franchise, she played Jennifer Goodson in the television series Anger Management from 2012 to 2014 and hosted the first season of the VH1 reality competition series Scream Queens in 2008.
Personal life and music
Alongside her acting career, Shawnee has pursued musical projects. In 2007, she formed a country rock music group with actress Missi Pyle called Smith & Pyle, releasing their debut digital album It's OK to Be Happy in 2008. She has also contributed vocals to various film soundtracks, such as songs featured in Saw III and Catacombs, and provided vocals for a cover of the song Abracadabra released by Eagles of Death Metal in 2019.
In her personal life, Shawnee was previously married to photographer Jason Reposar, with whom she has a daughter born in 1999. She was later married to musician Kai Mattoon, with whom she has a son born in 2005. She is a convert to Eastern Orthodoxy Christianity.
Birthday and age
Shawnee Smith was born on July 3, 1969, which makes Shawnee 57 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Shawnee shares the date with 23 other famous people.
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